8 Blocks Evacuated After Factory Fire
An eight-block area in a largely industrial section of Long Beach was evacuated briefly Sunday afternoon while 27 firetruck crews battled a blaze at a factory that manufactures gas cylinders.
Within four hours, firefighters had doused most of the fire at AlphaGaz Liquid Air and had determined that no toxic gas had escaped, said Bob Caldon, a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department.
The fire apparently started shortly before 4 p.m. in a leaky 25-gallon cylinder of silane, a highly toxic combustible gas used to manufacture computer chips, Caldon said. Another tank also caught fire. The building sustained only minimal damage, he said.
Residents and business owners were allowed to return about 8 p.m., Caldon said.
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